Game Quotes: Cavaliers vs. Bucks

On team’s performance tonight…): “I really thought we played a pretty solid game. Just like most young teams, you’re going to lose a little bit of focus at times. We did that in the second half when they made that furious comeback but, again we got it back together and were able to hold on for the win.”

(On the performance in the third quarter…): “The third quarters our last three or four games have been unbelievably bad. Tonight, I thought our third quarter was really good. Guys came out with a lot more focus then we had in recent games. We played really good on the defensive end and we moved the ball extremely well in the third quarter and that is something we need to continue to do.”

(On team’s performance tonight…): “We are going to work for it. We came in with the mindset that we are going to compete for 48 minutes. The attitude is always optimistic in the locker room and we just have to believe in one another. Once we go out there and perform the way we do, it all speaks for itself.”

(On the performance in the third quarter tonight…): “When coach called a time out they were making a run. They got it to within 10. When we came out of the time out, we pulled together and we just said, it’s not going to happen today. Obviously they made their run and then we just had to stay solid. We slowed the game down and started to play at our pace. We got out in transition and just made buckets.”

(On difference between Cleveland’s first and second trips to Milwaukee…): “Defensively we got better as a team, as a unit. Guys helped each other and we flew at shooters. Monta [Ellis] had a big night but as far as other guys we were trying to take them out of the game. Monta’s a great scorer, he can get it going. As far as our effort as a whole, we took care of the ball and we did the little things tonight. We had a big team effort offensively.”

(On how he got good looks tonight…): “Us running our offense. Two of the shots in the first quarter I was in the same spot wide open. We were doing what we were supposed to do spreading the floor. Guys were making the extra pass to find the open guy. They do it for me and I try to do the same thing for them.”

Bucks Head Coach Scott Skiles

(On the loss…): “Right from the jump ball we looked really fatigued. We didn’t have a lot of energy. We were kind of walking to our spots. We shot a couple of layups three feet over the rim, shot airballs. We were right and left, short and long. Monta (Ellis) had a lot of pop. We tried all kinds of different lineups, but we couldn’t find anything to get ourselves going.”

(On trying to maintain consistency…): “It’s a tough league to play in if you’re riding the up and down wave of good games, and then you can’t bring it the next night. That’s the separation amongst the teams. This is a team that Byron (Scott) has been commenting about lately about their struggles. They totally outplayed us tonight in every area.”

(On the defensive schemes…): “We couldn’t find anything that worked. We spent too much time kind of standing around. We just looked totally out of gas.”

Larry Sanders

(On the loss…): “I think we came out a little sluggish, and they took advantage of it. It’s the NBA. You can’t let their record really dictate how they’re going to play on a given night. They came out and played hard tonight, so give them credit for that.”

(On whether fatigue played a role tonight…): “I think that might be a factor. We don’t hang our hat on that though. This is a game we know we should have won. We just have to try to get the next one. All the traveling takes a toll on you after a while. Like I said, we can’t hang our hat on that. It’s a game we’ve got to win. We’ve got to give them credit because they came out playing pretty hard, and they put us back on our heels a little bit.”